The Platinum Specter
by Woopdydoodle
Summary: A boy in his early teens has been trapped in a miserable orphanage for his entire life, but fate has other plans for him when he sacrifices himself to save Mew. Rated teen for some violence and some cursing later on.
1. By a Moonlit Lake

Chapter 1: By a Moonlit Lake

_It's cool out today,_ I thought as I walked down the worn trail bordering the old lake; the same path I had traversed so many times previously. The trees rustled and I lifted my shoulders a bit to shield my face from the biting wind which came a few seconds later. I liked to come down this way; it was always quiet, and about the only place I could ever come to think. I looked at the graying sky, thinking idly about why winter seemed to be coming so early this year around here. I was never really sure why, but the cold always bothered me a little more than most people. I shrugged and kept walking, not knowing how long I could be away before the "Overseers" as I privately called them, noticed I was gone. "I swear the only time they even notice I exist is when I forget to do chores or something," I muttered to myself.

I suddenly turned left off the trail and pressed my way past a frost covered bush and came to a small clearing containing an ancient wooden bench by the lake's shore. This was my favorite spot around here; on several occasions I had simply watched the day go by from this very spot. Why was this little bench here anyway, off the beaten trail? Maybe another, searching for their purpose in this world had found this place years before me. I sat on the bench and looked out across the mirror smooth surface, seeing the crescent moon just starting to appear over the horizon. "It's getting late," I told to myself. "You know how they get when you're not back by dark." I sighed, making a small wisp of cloud appear in the cool air. I lingered for several more minutes, then decided that I couldn't put off going back to the orphanage forever (not that I wouldn't like to).

I shifted slightly and prepared to urge my stiff legs to stand, when something caught my eye; slight ripples were coming from a corner of the lake to my right. I looked but saw nothing. I frowned slightly, then sat back down from my half crouch, desperate for any excuse to not go back "home" sooner. A flock of bird-like creatures flew overhead. I looked up and watched the Spearow fly by before returning my attention to the lake. It was ebbing toward twilight now; the sun reduced to a blazing band of reds and oranges. The still surface of the lake broke just nearby; I didn't notice at first because it didn't break so much as smoothly part. Curious, I watched the head of a large, serpentine animal rise silently out of the lake and look around. The back half of its body was covered in rainbow colored scales which seemed to change color as it moved, and its head had what looked to be red hair trailing behind. I sat there half in awe; I had been coming here for almost three years and never knew this lake was home to a rare Milotic. However, my amazement soon turned to concern; it was looking left and right quickly as if distressed by something. I had been sitting so still that it didn't notice me at first in the dim light of the sunset. When I shifted slightly, the creature flinched in surprise and made as though it was about to quickly dive back underwater. I hurriedly whispered "No, no, it's ok! I'm not gonna hurt you!" The Pokemon hesitated, then silently slid up on shore. It started to get closer, and closer; I started to feel a little uneasy. It didn't stop until its face was about a foot from mine. It stared intently into my eyes and I looked back, admiring the sapphire blue color, not even realizing how quickly I had relaxed again. Several long moments passed, then the Milotic quickly went back to the water, and jerked its head in the direction of the trail going around the lake, rather insistently. I thought for a moment, then got up and walked around the lake in the direction it had indicated. The large serpent creature lead me along the lake's edge, showing me the way toward who knew what. I stepped in a pile of fallen leaves and it flinched a little at the crunching sound, then looked sternly at me. Apparently, it wanted me to be quiet, so I avoided the fallen leaves as best I could from then on.

The Milotic stopped after a time. I looked around and saw with some difficulty that we were at the part of the lake that the ripples had come from before. I was about to whisper "So why'd you lead me here?" when I heard hushed voices and a slight rustling of dry leaves.

"Jeez, I hope he was right about this; I'm freezing my can off out here!"

"Just be quiet!" hissed a second, nasty sounding voice, "you don't hear anyone else complaining, do you? And besides, it's almost the time he described, everyone locked and loaded?"

There was a series of soft grunts from the same general direction as the first two voices.

"But boss, wouldn't it be more use to us to take it alive? We could just tranq it and…"

"Idiot!" hissed the cruel voice again, "I've already told you that this one is immune to sedatives as far as we know, and besides, after the trouble we've gone through to get a this one; I want to make sure I get the proper satisfaction for bagging it! Just be sure to leave a big enough piece to clone."

They were silent from then on, but I didn't dare move. I had no idea who these people were or what pokemon they were after, but it sounded as though they were heavily armed and had nasty tempers. The last comment stuck with me the most; "Just leave a big enough piece…" It sounded like they were going to blow this poor creature away!

It was officially night time now. I heard a Hoothoot waking up from a nearby tree and a Murkrow quietly flapped by. I had quickly made up my mind; I was not going to allow these evil people to hurt whatever pokemon they were hunting. I was however, still trying to figure out a way to do so without getting shot myself. The Milotic and I were still as statues, listening hard.

_I sincerely doubt that it'd stop them if I just jumped out when whatever-it-is shows up, _I thought.

_Urrrgh! But I can't just sit here!_

By this time, I had completely forgotten about heading back to the orphanage, and my whole being was intent on stopping these monsters. The entire forest around the lake fell silent except for the swish of the wind through the mostly bare branches.

I was beginning to hope that the hunters' mystery informant was wrong; that whatever they were after simply wouldn't show up, but then a slight twinkle danced in the corner of my eye. I thought I had imagined it, but then I saw the speck of light again and realized that it was moving extremely fast, darting through the forest so quickly I couldn't keep track of it. The miniscule star then abruptly stopped near the edge of the water. The light grew slightly to the size of a crabapple and turned a pale pink color. There was a slight popping noise, and floating in mid-air by the lake's edge, was a pink, catlike creature with an almost disproportionately long tail; Mew.

If the tension of the moment before hadn't sealed my jaw shut, it would have fallen open. It was incredible; only a handful of people in history had ever seen it, and I had joined that lucky few. She was a complete mystery; the few people to have met it have described it as innocent, with an almost childlike sense of humor, but immensely intelligent, with a peaceful personality despite possessing seemingly unnatural power. It floated where it was, contentedly watching the moon over the lake with a calm expression on its face; not unlike myself mere minutes before. I could have watched the floating pink cat all night, but a soft sound snapped me out of my stupor; a sound that I wouldn't have even heard had I not been silent for the past half hour or so; the tiny click of a gun cocking.

I don't really know what made me do it. Maybe I had fallen for Mew's charm, or maybe a small part of me had decided to do so an hour previously. I burst from where I was hiding, just as I heard a woman shout "Fire!"

I yelled, and shoved the startled cat creature out of the way just in time. My arms crossed my chest in an instinctive attempt to protect myself from what I knew was coming, not that it would help. A cacophony of loud bangs, and every part of the front of my body suddenly exploded with agony. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the tiny Mew glance back in fear, they quickly vanish. I couldn't seem to breathe, despite my pained attempts. In spite of myself, I looked down and found my coat riddled with holes and dripping with warm, red fluid.

A woman, I couldn't see her well either from the dark or the blood streaming from my left ear, stepped out of a bush and yelled, "You little mother …!"

The rest was drowned out by another series of loud bangs, and another shredding wave of agony. My legs could no longer support my weight and I fell backward. The woman walked quickly over to me, stared for a moment, then stomped hard with a heeled shoe on my chest just below my neck. She mouthed something which I could not hear; I seemed to have gone deaf, then began to stomp away. She stopped, looked back for a moment, then shook her head and continued on.

My vision starting to fade into blackness, I saw the bushes rustle in the direction she walked, and then all was still once more. I couldn't breathe, and I could feel my body failing. I had no idea how long I lay there; perhaps a few seconds, perhaps hours. Just before my eyes went completely dark, I saw a tiny pink face over my own, dimly felt my arm lift slightly, and then a sudden feeling of being pulled in every direction. Then, nothing.


	2. Miraculous Recovery?

Chapter 2: Miraculous Recovery?

I wasn't very much aware of what happened after that. I saw shadowy figures over me, though I couldn't discern any of their features. I caught tiny flashes of conversations as I faded in and out of shadows.

_Why did…? _

…_do that! _

…_that's wise…? _

…_no way to know…you sure? _

I couldn't tell whether these words were spoken near each other or whether days had passed between them. The next thing I knew I was feeling somewhat comfortable, except for the grating sensation I got when I breathed; it felt like large chucks of grit were lodged in my chest. I felt a slight poke in the cheek, as if from a child trying to wake a sleeping parent.

"Urg, just give me five more minutes." I said.

It felt like something jumped in fright just nearby.

_Well, well, looks like Mr. Hero survived after all!_ said a kindly feminine voice which seemed to echo somewhat.

"Huh? What're you talking about?" I asked sleepily, still with my eyes closed.

_Does the term 'Swiss Cheese' mean anything to you?_ asked the voice in a half amused, half concerned tone.

"Swiss… what on Earth are you talking about?"

_Well, let's just say that you took more than just a bullet for someone not too long ago… I just hope they can still save you._

"Save me… wait, wait, what? What d'you mean you hope?" I asked, my voice slightly raised which won me a wave of pain across my chest.

All of the previous events suddenly flooded back to me like getting hit with a Hydro Pump. Despite feeling immensely tired, my eyes strained to open.

_Ah ah ah,_ said the kind voice and I felt a slight pressure on my eyelid, _the doctor says you're not even good to open your eyes just yet; to be honest, you're just barely stabilized now and your treatment hasn't really begun yet. You just get some sleep and we'll talk some more later._

I wanted to open my eyes so badly, even just to see who was talking to me, but my whole body felt completely drained and it was still very hard to breathe. Eventually I just sighed softly and fell asleep faster than I thought was even possible.

More shadowy figures and soft voices followed.

…_ready to begin? _

…_backup plan's all set… _

_Let's start._

Over the undetermined length of time that followed, I felt a long series of pricks, almost like fly bites, all over my body. They began near the surface, and with time worked their way into my chest and torso.

After who knows how long, the pricks became farther spaced, and eventually stopped.

…_get them all? _

…_few lodged in the hypothalamus… _

…_it would kill him…_

…_any other way…_

_Try it, just watch for side eff…_

A stretch of time passed and my ears briefly itched.

"It worked but…"

_What happened? _

…_accepted it too well… _

…_fifty percent of the brain… _

…_can't stop it…_

…_managed to keep a fair part of the mind isol… _

My hearing clarified ever so slightly.

_Nothing to do… wait 'till he wakes up and hope…well._

I came to somewhat a while after that. I wasn't truly awake; more in the half conscious state I was in when I spoke to the kind sounding voice.

Then the discomfort hit me like a ton of bricks. My skin was crawling like it was covered in biting insects, my arms and back felt like they were being twisted into unnatural shapes, my insides burned like they were full of molten lead, and my legs were going numb. But the worst of all was the lancing headache that felt like my skull was being cleaved in half. I wanted to grab my head in agony, yell out, do something, but my entire body had gone limp and I could do nothing but lay where I was and suffer.

After what seemed like an eternity of torture, I finally lost consciousness again and gained some rest from whatever force was racking my body so.

At long last, I felt myself gaining consciousness again. I mentally braced myself for the onslaught that I had felt before, but after several tense moments, none came. Without really noticing, I breathed in and felt… nothing. No gritty sensation, no agonizing pain, just smooth air. For the first time I became coherent enough to feel a soft pad of some kind underneath me.

The soft pressure on my chin told me that I was lying on my chest, but somehow wasn't face down. I grunted very quietly and moved my head an inch to the left.

My heart skipped a beat – I could move again!

_Well good morning, sleepy head!_ It was the same feminine, echoing voice I had heard before.

I shifted a little more on the bed I was on, and noticed that I couldn't feel my legs. I hesitated for a second, then returned my attention to the voice, hoping I had imagined to lack of sensation.

"Who are you?" I asked with difficulty; my chin still on the soft bed.

_Just relax,_ said the voice, _In a few minutes your eyes should be okay and you can see for yourself. _

_Why is this person being so cryptic?_ I asked myself.

A few minutes passed and my eyes itched terribly for a few seconds, and then felt fine. A machine of some sort beeped to my right.

_Alright, so here's the deal, the doctors thought they could save you by conventional surgery, despite the fact that just about every part of you was full of lead, but then they found a bunch of bullets in the most critical part of your brain; it's a miracle you didn't die outright from them. Guess you just weren't meant to die that day. _

I remained silent and the voice continued.

_Anyway, they couldn't get the bullets out by regular surgery; even a tiny touch in the wrong spot with you so fragile like that could have snuffed you out, so they decided to try some… um… experimental medicine, which, well, had some unusual side-effects in your case. _

"What do you mean?" I quietly asked, my voice croaking a little.

_Well, that deed you did won you a few friends to say the least and… it's hard to explain. First things first, you can open your eyes now; it feels awkward talking to someone who looks like they're sleeping. _

I opened my eyes at tiny bit at first; they seemed very reluctant to open, then slowly I beheld what seemed like a small hospital room. Up against the wall directly ahead, was another folded hospital bed, though it looked a lot larger than what I expected; it looked built for someone who was about nine feet tall. I looked around the cozy, one bed room, and frowned slightly; it looked mostly like a regular hospital room, but what I was seeing was a little peculiar; colors seemed a little distorted, some seemed brighter and more vibrant that before, while others looked duller than usual.

I tried to lift my head and found it was like trying to lift a boulder. Still, I strained and looked to my left and found myself staring at the same cute pink face that I saw just before blacking out.


	3. A New Beginning

Chapter 3: A New Beginning

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**Sorry for the wait; I've been busy with other things.**

**Obviously, I don't own pokemon or anything related to it.**

**Anyhow, here's Chapter 3. There's much more on the way; I believe I'm up to Chapter 25 as I upload this one.**

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_How're you feeling?_ The small floating creature asked, despite its mouth not moving.

I stared for a full ten seconds, then chuckled a little and said, "Man, I've got to be on some really good pain meds or something!"

The Mew in front of me put her paws over her mouth and made a sweet giggling sound.

_No, silly, I'm really here._

"OK, then I must be dreaming or something, pokemon can't talk… actually, you could be one of the few that can! But that doesn't explain how I got to a hospital or how you're here without causing an uproar."

_First, I can talk to people, I just generally don't, and it's a moot point anyway,_ She said a little indignantly, _and second, there's no way I'd just go into a human hospital, they always make me feel sad._

The way she had said this perplexed me just as much as what she said. I thought for several seconds, then said,

"Hang on; you make it sound like we're not even in a regular hospital at all."

I was about to inquire further when something tugged at my attention and my eyes swiveled almost automatically to the door on the opposite end of the room.

Several seconds later, a jolly looking Blissey in a nurse's outfit like the ones in pokemon centers sidled into the room, pulling a cart with an IV bag and other supplies on it. She turned, then did a double take as she realized I was awake.

"Oho, so he rises at last!" she said in a surprisingly high pitched voice for such a rotund creature.

At this I was simply struck dumb; I could believe that a Mew could talk maybe, but Blisseys definitely couldn't speak any human language.

"Alright, will someone please give me a straight answer about what's going on?"

I was getting a little annoyed now; I felt like I was being kept out of some kind of inside joke or something.

Mew sighed, then said,

_Remember how I said that Dr. Hypno tried some 'experimental medicine' when getting all the bullets out of you? Well, a friend of mine, Latios to be exact, heard about you saving me, and decided to donate a few cc's of blood toward saving your life. Well, it seemed alright at first; once before a human was brought here, actually under similar circumstances, and Latias did the same thing for her. The Lati's have crazy strong immune systems, strong enough to safely dislodge bullets in sensitive areas, among other things. So they gave her a shot of the blood and it worked, she was saved, without any side effects, but they were still wary of trying it again unless they had to. Well, given the situation, the doctors figured it was worth a try if it could save you. The only problem is, you didn't react the same way as the other human; with her, it did its job, and then her body rejected it and got rid of it. In your case, it took care of the bullets, but then your body didn't reject it. In fact, it accepted it a little too well and… _

She broke off, then floated over to the cart the Blissey pushed in, grabbed what looked like a square mirror, then floated back to the side of my bed.

_See for yourself,_ she said, turning the mirror over so I could see my reflection.

What I saw made my chest clench uncomfortably, and my heart feel cold.

Looking back at me through the mirror, was the face of a creature closely resembling pictures I had seen of Latios and Latias, but instead of red or blue, much of the fur-like feathers were a bright, lustrous silver color.

I stared for a minute, then blinked. When I opened my eyes again, the creature was still there, opening its eye the rest of the way to mimic me. Rather automatically, I reached out and took the mirror. The arm that reached out to take the mirror was quite unlike a person's, and ending in a small, unusual, clawed hand.

The dragon in the mirror stared back, with the same perplexed look, as I felt on my own. It had the same stone gray eyes as mine. Mew started to speak again, making me jump.

_Somehow, your genes seemed to have been aligned in such a way that they could mimic the DNA of a Lati. It was actually a strange mutation… but there's no way it could be simply chance that all this should happen. The chance of something like that just cropping up are about a hundred trillion trillion to one, and like I said before, you're only the second person in the history of mankind to have ever been healed like you were. _

I looked at her after slowly tearing my eyes away from the reflection.

_I've already pulled a few strings and some pokemon are already looking for you in the Destiny Records. For whatever reason, this was meant to happen. I just wish it was a little more… painless for you,_ she said a little sadly.

I was too distracted at the time to ask what the "Destiny Records" were.

_There is some good news though,_ she said perking up somewhat, _They managed to catch what was happening to you early enough on that they preserved your personality and most of your memories. The rest of you… not so much,_ She added ears drooping a little.

I was silent for a few minutes, then said, "Can I please have a few minutes alone to think?"

Mew and the Blissey hurried out of the room. I simply stared at the folded bed that looked like it had been built by something that wasn't quite sure about the proportions of a normal human.

I sat there for probably half an hour.

I couldn't understand why, but my thoughts kept returning to leaving the orphanage I hated so much forever. I kept thinking, _This is a chance to start over, begin afresh!_

I had never felt I belonged in my old life, like there was a veil separating me from any source of care and affection. Perhaps this change had altered my outlook on life; maybe I was more optimistic now than I was ever capable of before, but I decided to go with it.

I made up my mind; I was going to take this opportunity, I was going to start over with this new life fate had given me.

_The first thing, though,_ I thought,_ is how I'm going to get out of this bed_.

I turned my head around and looked at my new body, something I wouldn't have been physically capable of before. As expected, I didn't have any legs to speak of anymore. Thinking back to the pictures I saw ages ago, I recalled that Latios and Latias more or less floated in mid air, and I assumed that was how I was to get around.

I looked at the sturdy wings protruding from my back, half expectantly, but found them to be quite rigid.

_Makes sense,_ I thought, picturing the Latis flying through the air like jets, not like birds.

Hoping that this would be some kind of instinctive thing, I stopped thinking about it and simply willed myself to rise. The pressure on my body from the soft bed seemed to lessen somewhat.

Excited, I willed as strong as I could, and quickly flipped over myself and slammed into the wall adjacent to the bed, then slid back down onto the pillow.

"Owww…" I moaned, as I rubbed my head, which felt quite foreign.

I heard a childish giggling coming from the door, and turned to see Mew peeking in through it, which was slightly ajar. She had her paws over her mouth and had tears welling in her eyes. She abruptly fell to the floor, rolling with laughter. I was a little annoyed at first, then relaxed and laughed along with her.


	4. Departure

**Back again with Chapter 4.**

**As always, i don't own pokemon, and so forth.**

**By the way, in case you're wondering, the title won't make sense until much later in the story.**

**Anyhow, enjoy.**

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Chapter 4: Departure

A week later, I was cleared to leave the pokemon hospital, set well away from any human routes.

Over the last week, I had been put through the paces of adjusting to my new body, which turned out to be not unlike physical therapy. It took me most of the first two days to get flying down; I kept running into walls or suddenly shooting up and whacking my head on the ceiling, which was the source of more than a few chuckles, most of them from Mew, who had taken to hanging around with me ever since I woke up.

Once I was finally adapted to getting around by floating, I went through a series of tests like in any normal hospital. There was a rather memorable day about half way through the week in which I was to stay in the air as long as I could as weights were placed on my back. As it turned out, I could support almost 500 pounds before even feeling strained.

I was surprised how naturally most things came to me, but I assumed that may have been because the changes affected my mind to a degree. Some differences were almost unnoticeable at first.

It was day five before I felt hungry for the first time, and I seemed to need much less sleep than before; I felt well rested after just three hours of snoozing a night. To pass the time during the boring evenings, Mew (who seemed to need no more sleep than I did) and I took to playing chess mentally. During the first four days after I woke, she had taught me the basics of what came with being a psychic pokemon, which turned out to be much easier than I had expected. Mew would also try to test me as we played; switching pieces in the mental image between us to get me to compare the image in my memory to the one in my mind's eye.

She eventually stopped because it took me just two days to be able to catch her every time. Even playing fair, she beat me every game, but I got better with each attempt and by the end of the week I could tell she was thinking hard about every move. Apparently, I had become a very fast learner practically overnight.

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Another Blissey behind the front desk stamped some papers and I was cleared to leave at the end of the week. I caught a glance at some of the papers on the desk and noticed that the line labeled "species" was left blank. I thought about it for a moment, then realized that though I looked like a Latios or Latias, my coloring was very different from either of them, and some fine features were slightly different. It occurred to me that when I changed I had become an entirely new kind of pokemon, though of the same mold as one of the Latis.

Mew and I, who had become good friends by then, drifted through the door. It was quite cool outside now; winter was clearly right around the corner. I guessed that about two weeks had passed since the incident. I shuddered a little in the chilly air. I had never liked the cold and now that I was a dragon type pokemon, I flat out couldn't stand it.

Mew sent me a few mental instructions which I followed. I instantly felt warmed as a field of psychic insulation covered my body. I emanated gratitude to her. By day five, I seldom spoke verbally, and had taken to Mew's habit of speaking mentally for most things. I could see why she did so; it was much easier and more efficient than communicating with sound.

We had spoken the day before and I decided that whenever Mew went somewhere near a human settlement, I would tag along whenever I could, both to keep her company, and to be an extra set of eyes and ears and in a sense, a bodyguard, at least until I felt confident she would be safe. I felt obligated to look out for her; we had now saved each other's lives, but there was something more than that; we had grown close and she was almost like a little sister to me now.

Mew was going back to her usual secluded corner of the world for a while, so we parted ways, and I went off to find myself a new home. Before parting, Mew taught me a few tricks to avoid being seen, though as a new pokemon, neither one of us expected my secrecy to last very long.

I had considered a few places to go before leaving the hospital, and, unable to decide, I was going to visit each before settling in. I turned my head back and watched Mew disappear with a soft pop, and I set off toward the first candidate for a new home; the Dragon's Den in Johto.

I rose into the air, well above the trees, and for the first time, really let loose with the speed. My new body was quite aerodynamic and I was soon zipping through the air at insane velocity. I wanted to see how fast I could go, so I pressed onward a bit, and to my surprise, felt a sort of barrier in the air, which kept me from going faster.

Relishing the challenge, I pressed hard, and eventually broke through the strange barrier, and felt it slide over me. I glanced down and saw the leafless trees below shake as a pulse of wind hit them from my direction. I was a little confused, but then I got it; I had just broken the sound barrier. I loved the feeling of going faster than almost anything else could, and reached the Dragon's Den by dusk that same day.

I felt a little wary of heading into the great cave by Blackthorn City so late, so I settled myself in a tree on the cliff overhanging the cave's mouth. Unfolding my arms from their flight positions, I grabbed a branch of the tree and floated down to rest on one of its branches. The water below made me think of the lake back at the orphanage. For a brief moment I missed the old lake, then remembered all that had driven me to go there and then what had occurred there on my last visit. This quickly chased the longing from my mind and I relaxed, watching the moon. I watched the stars overhead for several hours, then dozed off.

I woke at dawn and watched the sun peak over the horizon. A sound broke my relaxation and tempted me to look over the precipice. A young man, a trainer by the look of him, was reeling in a fishing pole intently, clearly excited. Eventually, he reeled in a small, panicked looking Dratini.

"Yes, I finally got one!" the young trainer said. "Now be a good little worm and get into this pokeball," he commanded, producing a red and white orb. The Dratini wriggled, helpless on the line.

"No? Well, I have ways of making you cooperate," he said with a wicked grin on his face. He pulled… something, from his pocket and held it out in a threatening fashion. I frowned, then jumped slightly as the small device in his hand opened and started sparking electricity. I had no contempt for trainers, but I wasn't going to allow this one to torture that little Dratini into submitting.

I reached out mentally and told the Dratini, _I'm going to help you. Just hang in there._ The Dratini looked around for the source of the voice it had heard, alarmed, then did a short nod, cleverly disguising it as another squirm for freedom. To tell the truth, I wasn't sure if I was experienced enough with my new abilities to do what I hoped to, but I had to try.

I focused hard, and several medium sized stones behind the young trainer rose into the air, and one flew forward, hitting the boy in the back of the knee.

"Gah, what the…" he said, dropping the sparking implement as he spun around.

Several more rocks flew at him. "Wha – I didn't know Dratini could learn Ancient Power!" he yelled and ran off toward Blackthorn, leaving the fishing pole with the hooked Dratini on the shore of the lake at the mouth of the cave.

I stopped flinging rocks with my mind, then waited for a moment, and flew down and cut the Dratini loose of the fishing line, who had been struggling in vain to get back to the water. The small pokemon looked back at me for a moment, gratitude in its eyes, then slithered back into the water. For some reason, I had a feeling that I would see that little dragon again someday.

After some hesitation, I floated into the mouth of the cave and looked around. Most of the cave contained jagged rocks and swirling water, and there was a small building on stilts at the far end of the cave. I sniffed the air, and decided at once that this wasn't the right place for me. The air smelled close and dank.

_Note to self, you need open air where you live,_ I thought, and mentally eliminated a few possible locations.

I turned and left the cave, and set off to my next possible home. I considered Mt. Coronet in Sinnoh and Mt. Silver on the border of Johto and Kanto to be the best candidates. I headed for Mt Silver first, as it was much closer. I met the same problems as in the Dragon's Den; close smelling air and stagnant water. I tried further up the mountain, but found it to be much too cold for my liking, so I turned and headed for Sinnoh.


	5. First Contact

Chapter 5: First Contact

After just a few hours of supersonic flight over the open ocean, I saw land again, and continued toward the center of the small continent. I found the huge mountains, which seemed fresh and enticing. I was about to decide on this place, at least for the time, but something drew my attention further South.

I had gotten used to these "psychic pulls" while still in the hospital; they were little urges to go places and do things, or simply to bring my attention to something. I headed off in the direction the pull came from. After a while, I came across what looked like some kind of ancient shrine high on the top of the tallest peak of Coronet. Intrigued, I took a closer look.

I settled down behind a large pillar that reminded me strangely of a spear piercing the mountain. A minute later a woman garbed in black with long blond hair stepped over the crest opposite me. Her clothes somehow reminded me of an Umbreon. She looked around, breathed deeply and sat down against one of the smaller pillars, and looked pensively into the distance. I rose up and settled atop a small pillar closer to her, trying to get a better look at what she was doing.

She looked tired from the long climb to get up to the shrine on foot. She then suddenly looked up, directly at me, then did a double take, but I had already darted behind the pillar and for good measure, used one of Mew's tricks to bend the light around myself, becoming invisible. She looked confused, frowning at the place where I was just a fraction of a second before. She then took a pokeball from her belt and let out a proud looking Lucario. She whispered something to it, and it looked directly at where I was peeking out from behind the pillar. It nodded to her.

"It's alright, I'm not going to hurt you. You can come out," she said not unkindly.

I'd been discovered, somehow. It was a bit of a relief though; I didn't know how long I could have kept myself secret anyway, and I couldn't stand living in fear of just being seen, though I did expect my secrecy to last more than a few days. I slowly uncloaked, emerged from behind the pillar and floated down to near where she was.

"Well who are you then?" she asked curiously. I just looked into her eyes. Something I had learned in the hospital was that pokemon could tell a lot about a person from their eyes. I stared into hers for several moments, then glanced away. I could tell that she was kindhearted, but also very strong willed with a good definition between right and wrong which she would gladly stand up for. I relaxed, sensing that she was honest and if she said she wouldn't hurt me, she meant it.

She looked analytically at me, then pulled a small device from her pocket, muttering "I never thought I'd have to use this again."

She held up the device before her, which had a small camera lens pointed toward me. She pressed a button and the device beeped three times, then was silent for a moment. It then said in a mechanical voice,

_Error: Unrecognized Pokemon._

The woman looked very interested in me now, though she said nothing. The small device made a whirring sound and produced a soft clicking noise for a moment, then was silent once more. The woman put the device back into her pocket.

I couldn't understand why, but I trusted this woman. I had already gotten used to trusting unexplainable feelings and instincts, which I had started to feel the same day that I woke up.

"My name's Cynthia, pleasure to meet you," she said.

She called back her Lucario and quietly asked, "Where did you come from?"

I hesitated to answer; I didn't really want to spill my whole story, not that she would probably believe it, so I just looked at her, silently.

"What are you called?"

I wasn't sure what to call what I had become. Was I going too far to think of myself as the third Lati? I kept my thoughts to myself.

"Can you understand me?" she asked patiently.

I decided that no harm could come from telling her that much, so I nodded. She smiled a little.

"Well, until we figure out what to call you officially, do you mind if I call you Alex?"

I cocked my head to the side slightly. She grinned.

"See you around, Alex," she said, as she got up and started to leave.

I followed behind her, not for any real reason, more on an impulse. She stopped and looked back.

"Listen, do you mind if I bring a friend up here to see you? I promise they won't do anything to you."

I considered for a moment. What harm could one more person do? I nodded silently and she smiled before turning and beginning the trip back down the tall mountain.

That night, I rested in a large tree lower down the mountain. The next morning, I went back to the odd shrine I had visited before. About noon, the woman from the day before; Cynthia, came back, followed by another woman with short dark hair wearing a white coat and gasping for breath. I hid myself until I was sure there were no other people coming. Cynthia reached the shrine and looked around.

"Alex, this is my friend, Justine, the one I mentioned yesterday," she began, speaking in no particular direction, "if you're here, I'm sure she'd like to meet you!"

I looked at the second woman. She looked good natured, but impatient, however I couldn't tell for sure; I couldn't see her eyes.

"Cyn, pleeeaase tell me you didn't drag me all the way out here for nothing." The second woman said. Cynthia said nothing.

Shrugging as much as I could do since I changed, I abandoned my hiding place and came to rest in front of the pair. Cynthia smiled kindly, while the second woman, Justine continued to gasp for breath, doubled over. Justine glanced up, then stopped cold, her gasping slowing immediately.

"Oh wow," she said quietly, all thoughts of the long hike apparently forgotten. "It figures you'd be the one to find this guy!" She said, playfully nudging Cynthia.

I finally got a good look at her eyes when she looked back at me, and I immediately knew there was something off about her. I trusted Cynthia, but I just couldn't trust this woman, Justine. As stealthily as I could, I slipped into this second woman's mind, and saw that my initial instincts were not unfounded. She showed no signs of knowing I had infiltrated her mind except for a confused look for a moment, which she shook off and continued to look at me intently, almost hungrily. In her mind I found dark plans and evil deeds. This was very much not the pokemon researcher her appearance portrayed.

Both women seemed to have sensed my hesitation; Cynthia eventually asked "Is there something wrong?"

Her tone of voice and expression made it clear that she was not aware of the evil in her "friend."

Abandoning pretence, I quickly answered, _Yes_ to each of their minds. They both looked stunned that I could communicate in a way they would understand, but their expressions quickly turned to concern, though I was sure for different reasons.

_It seems,_ I began, _that your 'friend' is an imposter._

I placed extra emphasis on the last word by grabbing "Justine" by the throat and slamming her into the nearest pillar.

"What are you doing!" yelled Cynthia as I held the fake Justine pinned to the pillar, gasping for air, fingernails scrabbling at the claw around her neck with a terrified expression on her face.

I didn't bother being stealthy this time. I plunged roughly into her mind and hurriedly tore through her memories. I heard Cynthia let out a pokemon behind and to the left of me. I suddenly stopped on a certain memory. Cynthia obviously didn't know and I had to show her the truth. The memory before me would make her see. I quickly grabbed the imposter by their right arm; her eyes were now rolling into her head from the mental attack.

Then I heard Cynthia scream, "Garchomp, use Dragon Rush!"

A sudden crushing pain as something huge slammed into my side and I lost my grip on the imposter, but by left claw managed to tear the sleeve off of her coat. I was slammed into something hard and I fell to the ground, feeling barely conscious. My vision bleary from the impact, I saw Cynthia run over to the imposter, now collapsed on the ground and crouch to see if she was alright, then stop.

Cynthia roughly grabbed the arm of the other woman, seeing what I knew from her mind was a spiky dark "G" branded into her upper arm. I knew that things were going to be alright, and I allowed myself to pass out.


	6. Rescue Mission

Chapter 6: Rescue Mission

I woke up hidden behind one of the shrine's pillars, and heard activity nearby. I cloaked myself and took a look around the pillar. There were several official looking men bustling around, one talking to Cynthia, who looked a little uneasy. The imposter was awake and was being led away by two men, her hands behind her back, with a Magnezone floating above her as an added security measure. She looked side to side, then struggled a little. One of the men escorting her grabbed her firmly by the back of her shirt to hold her still, and the woman's hair fell off, revealing a layer beneath of bright tomato red. The men didn't flinch and kept her walking.

The man speaking with Cynthia didn't seem satisfied with what she was saying, but eventually bid her farewell, turned, and left with the rest of the group. Cynthia watched them leave, then hurried in my direction once they were out of sight. I glanced around, then uncloaked and waited for her to walk over.

"Are you alright?" She asked. I nodded.

"Don't worry, I didn't tell them about you; I figured the less people who know the better. I'm sorry about the Dragon Rush and everything; I had no idea my friend was actually a spy for Team Galactic," she said, looking a bit shaken, as well as uneasy that she was talking to a pokemon.

_It's alright; you couldn't have known, but didn't Galactic disband not too long ago?_ I asked, remembering a news headline from some months previous.

"I thought so, but apparently some admins are still operating in isolated cells. I just don't get why they're trying to spy on me when I didn't even know they still existed." I thought for a moment, but could think of no reasons.

After a pause, I asked, _Where is your real friend?_

Cynthia was silent, then quietly said, "I don't know; kidnapped probably. But Team Galactic is brutal; I don't even know if she's still…"

She broke off, and I could see tears welling in her eyes.

I had an idea; I wasn't sure if I could do what I had in mind, but I wouldn't know unless I tried.

I asked _Do you have anything that may have been in her possession recently?_ She thought, then said, 'Well, she upgraded my old pokedex for me not too long ago, and it must have actually been her; an imposter couldn't have made this old thing work for Unova…" She broke off again.

_May I see it?_ I asked.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out the small device from before. I took it gently, and focused. Nothing happened. I tried again, picturing a woman that looked like the disguised imposter, but nothing. I was about to give up, but then instinctively brought the tiny machine closer and smelled it.

It was very faint, but it was enough. I suddenly saw the inside of a dark room, with a woman tied to a chair, blindfolded and gagged. A tiny slit of light penetrated the room, and I saw silhouettes move in front of it.

"I can't believe our best spy was captured," said a cruel sounding voice.

There was a pause, then the voice said, "Alright, get rid of her, but go ahead and enjoy yourself a little first."

A door opened, flooding the room with light, and a man walked in, approached the bound woman, and punched her hard across the face, a sinister grin on his own. The vision ended abruptly and I was back at the shrine with Cynthia. I blinked, then turned to her.

My mind seemed to go into auto-pilot, and I began mentally speaking to her while in a sort of trance, not really even registering what I was saying. I rattled off a set of longitude and latitude, an elevation, then said simply, _Twenty-five minutes._

"Twenty-five minutes until what?" she said, sounding scared.

I snapped out of my trance, and said, _I'm guessing that's how long we have to save your friend._

I inexplicable knew exactly where to go, but it was far, and time was clearly short. I could have tried teleporting there, but I had never tried it before, let alone with someone else, and I had no idea what kind of results I would get.

I quickly turned my back and Cynthia and said, _Hop on._

She hesitated, then I felt a surprisingly light pressure on my back.

_Hold on tight; we're going fast._

She wrapped her arms tightly around my neck and I rose into the air, faced the northeast, and took off like a jet. Cynthia's hands clenched a little painfully as she hung on for dear life. I leveled off my speed; I didn't dare going supersonic with her riding. I felt her shift and get a better grip. I felt the pulse in her wrists gradually slow to its normal rate.

It took me about ten minutes to reach the right place; what looked like the entrance to a bunker set in the middle of nowhere in the northeast of the Sinnoh mainland. I set down and Cynthia got off. I looked at the heavily reinforced metal door, which had no visible handle.

_I don't think I'll be able to get this thing open in fifteen minutes…_ I thought to her.

She thought for a moment, then suddenly pulled a pokeball from her belt and let out what at first appeared to be just a peculiar looking stone. However, a dark, purplish vapor specked with a toxic looking green quickly rose from a pore in the stone's top and formed a haunting looking face. I gave an involuntary shudder and instinctively floated a little further away from it; a dark-ghost type pokemon was like a living nightmare to a psychic type. Cynthia spoke, which snapped me out of the tense feeling I was stuck with.

"Spiritomb, can you get this door open?"

The mist moved like a shadow over the ground, and separated into numerous small streams, which ringed the edge of the door. A thin tendril of mist remained connected to the stone, like a tether. There was silence except for a Starly chirping in a tree nearby, then a grinding sound and an echoing clunk, and the heavy door swung inward.

"Great job Spiritomb!" Cynthia said, then called it back, and the two of us started down a pitch dark staircase.

It took a while to reach the bottom, and we saw light around a corner. I was becoming a little panicked; there were less than five minutes left on the clock ticking down in my mind. There was only a single light on in this complex; across from a heavy door that looked like it lead to a solitary confinement cell. Cynthia opened the door and looked inside to find a man holding a bound woman's face with a look of glee on his own. He looked up and his smile vanished like a bubble on a needle. He quickly reached for his belt and pulled a gun very fast and pointed it at Cynthia. His finger tightened on the trigger.

_Not this time,_ I thought to myself, and before Cynthia had even realized the man had pulled a gun, it had shattered from an unseen force I had sent at it. The man yelled in surprise and pain and fell into a crouch, holding his wrist, and displaying a hand embedded with shards from the weapon, leaving bleeding gashes.

Now it was Cynthia's turn to be faster than the others in the room. Before I even saw her move, her Lucario had pinned the man to the wall. Cynthia hurried to the bound woman who looked to be unconscious.

"She's pretty beaten up, but she should be alright," she said.

The man however, was silently grinning again. He started to chuckle in a hoarse, rather mad sounding tone. I cloaked and quickly looked into the hall, and found the lights on, and a large group of armed men coming from either direction. I didn't stop to explain. I grabbed Cynthia and her friend, then Cynthia's startled looking Lucario and prayed, _Please let this work._

I focused hard on reaching the nearest human settlement, put every ounce of my being into my desire to go there, then felt a sensation of being pulled in every direction and opened my eyes. We were in a forest. I looked around and saw building through the trees in one direction.

I looked the other way and saw that it had worked; Cynthia and the Lucario were standing up from the ground, looking a little dazed. Her friend started to wake, grumbling a little, then said in a drunken sounding voice, "What? A silver Latios?" But by the time she opened her eyes all the way I had vanished.


	7. Reunion

Chapter 7: Reunion

One thing was certain: I was tired after all that had happened that day. I headed out to the nearest secluded island I could find and fell asleep in a tree. I woke and found that I had slept much more than I was used to, and felt rather hungry and drained of energy. I quickly found a tree with some unusual pink berries which were a little shriveled from it being so late in the season, but which tasted alright, so I ate a few and felt better instantly.

I then became aware of a familiar presence not far from where I was. I grinned a little at the irony and thought, _Well, fancy meeting you here,_ to the psychic mind I sensed.

_Well, well, what are you doing all the way out here?_ Mew answered.

_It's a long story._

_I've got plenty of time._

I hesitated for a moment, then said, _Alright, but will you please let me know where you're hiding?_

_Nope, you'll just have to find me,_ she said with an amused thought.

This was one of Mew's lovable quirks; she could never seem to decide whether she wanted to act like a wizened sage or a five year old. Smirking a little, I tried to sense her mind, but found that I couldn't sense her anywhere, or rather, felt her everywhere in the area. Her mind seemed spread around the whole forest like a fog.

_Ah, ah, no cheating!_ I heard her say.

I wasn't sure how she pulled off the trick, but it looked like I was going to have to rely on my physical senses. I started to look and found that the forest was full of the trees with the bizarre pink berries, which I soon realized were the exact same color as Mew's fur.

_Just wonderful,_ I thought, _She's probably in one of these trees, but then again I wouldn't put it past her to hide elsewhere, knowing that I'd realize that._

I decided that she probably was elsewhere, and looked all over, but no sign of her.

_Alright,_ I thought to her, _I give up, where are you?_

She came floating out of a tree not far from where I was, giggling.

_I got you! I knew you'd think I was in a tree, then over think things and think I was somewhere else trying to trick you, so I hid in a tree anyway._

Reverse psychology, great.

_So anyhow,_ she continued, _what have you been up to the last three days?_

Had it really only been three days? I told her everything that had happened while she sat in the air, listening. When I finally finished she burst out laughing.

_I should have figured as much; you're out of the hospital for just three days and you're already getting mixed up in things you shouldn't. Sounds like you've been pretty busy, meeting the number one trainer in Sinnoh and whisking her away to save her friend from what's left of Team Galactic!_

_What did you expect me to do?_

_Exactly what you did. But now, you need to relax a little. On top of all that happened, you figured out telekinesis, teleportation, clairvoyance, and getting into someone's head all in the span of about two days._

She drifted closer and put her warm paws on my face.

_You're going to give yourself a coronary you big silver idiot!_ she said, laughing.

My ears drooped back a bit and I felt a little cross, then lightened up a minute later and laughed along with her.

A few days passed. Apparently, I'd managed to find Pinkan Island purely by chance. When Mew told me where I was, I felt a little awkward; I had tried a few of the berries here and wasn't too keen on turning pink. Mew laughed when I asked her and she told me not to worry and that I'd have to eat a lot more than a few to start turning color.

As it turned out, this was one of Mew's favorite haunts. The island was after all a protected preserve, and humans very seldom came here, so it was a relatively safe place to go without risking being seen. Mew seemed a little concerned about my being discovered so quickly, but I assured her that I trusted Cynthia not to tell anyone before I was ready to come out of obscurity, and the only three others that had seen me had thought I was a mirage, or was otherwise a lying criminal that few would believe if they ever mentioned me.

_I acted rashly,_ I said.

Mew looked at me a little surprised.

_I flew off without really thinking. If I had been cornered and couldn't figure out how to teleport in time, I could have been captured or worse. I don't even know how to properly defend myself if I needed to._

Mew stopped munching on the berry she was eating and thought for a moment, then said, _That's right, I keep forgetting you don't know the first thing about battling, do you? I see what you're saying; you got through the last few days mostly on luck. _

This made me feel even worse.

_Well, there's only one thing for it. Get ready for a crash course in battling,_ she said, setting down the berry.

I looked back in surprise.


	8. Potential Unlocked

Chapter 8: Potential Unlocked

_Ready? Too bad, defend yourself!_

Mew flew quickly toward me, and reeled back a little comically for a punch.

I was caught very off guard, the said _I'm not gonna fight you-!_

She punched her little paw toward my chin. I expected no more than a tap from the tiny, cute creature, but the impact felt like a slug gun and sent me reeling. My jaw felt like it had almost been dislocated by the blow.

_What the heck Mew! I'm not going to fight you!_

_Rule number one,_ she said a little darkly, _Don't let your opponent get the jump on you._

_I'm not going to fight you!_ I repeated.

_Don't think about the attacks; they'll just come to you on their own._

She acted like she hadn't heard me. She pulled back for another Mega Punch. I stubbornly stayed where I was and let the blow land on my chest, almost knocking the wind out of me, but I defiantly stayed where I was.

_Not inclined to fight back, huh? We can fix that._

Before I knew what was coming, it was like I was struck by a mental truck. I wasn't able to regain my composure until she had already found the part of me she had been looking for. With a jolt, I felt her open a primal part of my mind and raw aggression flooded my entire body. I had to forcibly stop myself from lashing out at her, and grabbed my head, shaking it vigorously. I felt another wave of rage course through my body, twice as strong as the first. It took every ounce of will power to restrain myself.

_Aw, you must really care about me,_ she mused, _but this isn't personal at all._

A final wave of fury flowed through me, and I couldn't hold myself back anymore. I looked long at her, adrenaline coursing through my veins then I suddenly took off like a rocket and the battle began.

It was like someone was flipping switches in my head, one after the other, turning on abilities I didn't even know I had. Mew quickly stopped holding back and really let loose, firing off Shadow Balls, more Mega Punches, even a Blizzard once or twice.

I dodged some using Agility and Double Team, most hit me but I plowed on like a bulldozer despite the searing pain I felt from a Shadow Ball, or the nerve-stopping chill from a Blizzard. I had no luck at hitting Mew myself; she dodged everything from Energy Ball to Flamethrower to Ice Beam to Dragonbreath, dancing around in the air like a little ballerina.

I finally landed a hit with Aura Sphere; it circled around on its own when she dodged and caught her from behind like a glowing boomerang.

_Alright, now we're getting somewhere,_ she said, not even flinching from the hit.

I started automatically using moves that were beyond me how I could use; things like Sucker Punch, Shadow Ball, Stone Edge, and Steel Wing, each time producing energy from my mouth, channeling energy into my claws, or somehow hardening my rigid wings to act as blades.

The battle intensified and I landed a few more hits, but was being pummeled myself. After a hard hit from Blizzard, I felt very dazed and my vision almost flickered in and out, then I felt a wave of force hit me from the side and I blacked out.

When I came to after what felt like a very short time, the aggression which had consumed my entire being was gone, replaced by guilt for fighting my closest friend. I looked up and saw Mew over me, panting slightly, but looking mostly unscathed. I felt happy that she was alright, but still guilty for what I had done.

Mew however, looked pleased.

_Well, well, I'm surprised how well you made out on your first try. You actually made me work up a sweat, which is saying something._

_I still lost; if that had been a trainer or something, I would have just been captured._

_But I'm not and you weren't, and by the way you fought, a trainer will be very hard pressed to get their mitts on you. You also don't seem to be taking into account the fact that I've had quite a few more years of experience than you. All things considered, you far exceeded expectations. You also proved that you're very much not the same as Latios or Latias; they couldn't even pull off some of the moves you did. Something rather unusual happened as well, but I'll tell you about that once you're back on your metaphorical feet._

I picked myself off the ground and was quiet for a moment.

_Exactly how much more experience do you have than me? And how did I just know all those crazy attacks; most of them were well outside of my own type, and how could I do them without ever trying before?_

_First question first. How old do you think I am?_

I thought for a moment, remembering that legendary pokemon were known to live extraordinarily long lives.

_I don't know… two hundred?_

_More like three and a half thousand, not counting previous lives._

My eyes widened and my jaw dropped open a little. She chuckled softly.

_So let's see,_ she put her paws out as if weighing on a set of scales, _ten days versus three and a half millennia._

She chuckled again.

_Don't take it personally; like I said, you did very well considering the circumstances. As for when you were fighting, I have a suspicion as to how so many attacks came to you so quickly, but I can't be sure yet, so for now, let's just leave it as an 'I don't know.'_

I was quiet again, then asked, _You said that something weird happened during the fight?_

_Uhuh, you started changing colors._

There was an awkward silence, then I simply asked, _What?_

_It wasn't with everything; when you used most attacks, nothing special happened and you looked fine, but when you used a few attacks your silvery feathers changed color, then changed back after the attack, then you looked pretty woozy for a second afterwards. It wasn't always the same color either; it's a little hard to explain, I should just show you._

She then sent me a series of images of myself during the battle. The first flashed before me and I saw myself, with an inferno coming from my mouth, but rather than bright silver, most of me had turned a shiny, blood red, like a ruby. The next had a wave of anti-light bursting out in all directions; a Dark Pulse, and my coloring had turned jet black. Several more images flashed before me along the same lines.

Her voice made me jump, _Again, I can only guess at what that may be and why you looked tired after changing color, but I think you may be able to use attacks that you wouldn't ordinarily be able to, at the cost of a good deal of extra energy; a neat talent, but not one to be overused._

I felt a little stunned; no other pokemon was quite like that. I was about to ask more when a cold, snowy wind hit the side of my face.

Mew looked up and said, _Looks like winter finally made it to this old place._

The cold was numbing my mind and my limbs felt very stiff. I settled down quickly, and felt like I was going to pass out again.

Just before entering the blackness of sleep, I heard Mew say, _Thought so. Just take it easy big guy._

I then felt myself drift into slumber.


	9. Identity

Chapter 9: Identity

I woke up after what felt like a long time. I shifted and felt something cold and wet brush across my face. I slowly opened my eyes, feeling groggy. Everything was covered in a thin layer of white fluff, except for a few small, fresh looking flowers poking through the snow. I steadily got up; my muscles felt almost locked in place and it took me a few minutes to get comfortable. I looked below and there was an area that was clear of snow roughly in the shape of my body.

I sleepily floated up and got closer to the sun, which was surprisingly warm for there to be snow on the ground. I slowly warmed up again and felt my joints loosen. I then realized that someone was missing. I quickly tried to sense Mew's mind, but no such luck, so I reached out further and further.

At long last I felt her mind, hundreds of miles away.

_Mew! Are you there? Are you alright?_ I asked, fearing for her safety.

_I'm fine, calm down Mr. Excitable._

_What just happened?_

_Just happened? Big guy, you went into hibernation; that was almost four months ago!_

_I…what?_

_Don't worry, most dragon types do; you fellas don't tend to take the cold very well. I imagine that's why you were so keen to find a place to settle down right out of the hospital; you felt winter was almost on you, but then you got mixed up in everything and wound up on Pinkan Island, which was having an unseasonable warm spell which ended all at once. You just sort of conked out right where you were._

How could I have just slept for almost four months without knowing it?

I shook my head.

_Alright, so… what did I miss?_ I asked rather awkwardly.

_You know; this and that, the Team Galactic cell you found got rounded up, your results got back from the Destiny Records a week after you fell asleep, the usual stuff._

_That's a heck of a lot more than 'this and that!'_ I felt her amusement despite the distance. _I know you like your jokes but that's not exactly small news!_

_All right, just chill out, pun possibly intended,_ she chuckled again, _apparently Cynthia remembered where you took her when you went to save her friend, she told the authorities, this led to that, and that surviving clump of Team Galactic is officially no more._

_Well that's good news I guess._ I paused for a second. _Hang on, did you say something about that Destiny Records or something?_

_That's right, but I'd rather tell you that personally. Be there in a second._ Actually in was more like five seconds but who's counting. _Now then, _she said appearing with a soft pop,_ about your destiny. Put simply, Arceus goofed._

I sat there for a second, to make sure I had heard her right.

_He goofed? What d'you mean he goofed!_

_I mean, he didn't foresee something, and had to quickly rearrange events, then try to fix things to get them to work out._

_I'm gonna need more specifics than that,_ I said, getting rather annoyed.

_Alright, get comfortable because this is going to get a little bit complicated. See, you're life has been the way it has indirectly because of me,_ she started, a little sadly.

_Arceus didn't know until very short notice in the grand scheme that those people were going to attempt to kill me that night, so he quickly rearranged the way things would be at the time. You were originally supposed to be born as you are now, but you began life as a human instead. You lived your childhood in that orphanage and were set up to hate it specifically so that you'd avoid it, and be at the right place at the right time to save me. Regardless of your physical form, you would have had the same strong heart, and so you were chosen to be the one to save me. Obviously he couldn't just leave you like that; you had a separate fate to fulfill as you are now, so he found a way to rectify his little, um, tweak to your life._

I felt stunned, and was silent, so Mew continued.

_I told you some time ago that you changed when you were healed because of a basically impossible genetic mutation. That was Arceus's doing apparently; he knew that I would try to save you by bringing you to the first place I thought of that could help you, and knew that Latios would take pity on you… maybe he subconsciously knew about who you should have been. Anyhow, you seemed to take to your proper body extremely quickly because fate was more or less bringing you up to speed to what you should have been capable of by then._

I couldn't believe what I was hearing, was my whole life up until now just a game? Or worse, all just a mistake?

I finally ordered my thoughts. _But if that's true… why wait until I was that age, and what about my parents?_

_Arceus set it so you would be in your early teens when the incident happened so that you would mature enough to handle the experience, but not old enough to contain the impulse that made you save me. As for your parents…_

_Yes?_

_Well your 'human parents' never actually existed._

I looked blankly at her.

_To be honest, I don't understand it much myself. You originally should have been like you are now, so you should have hatched from an egg, but that's not how things work with humans… the only possibility I can think of is that you were somehow a human that hatched from an egg, then was somehow moved to be found without raising too much suspicion, set up to look as though you'd been abandoned._

I simply couldn't process this at all. How had I simply burst into being in a form that shouldn't have been mine?

I slowly regained my composure and asked, _Then, who are my real parents?_

_You're a smart pokemon, you should know the answer by now,_ she said.

And though all this had hit me like a staggering blow, for the first time in my life, I had some sense of who I truly was.

_One last question… what's my real name?_

_What do you mean?_

_Well, it's getting a little tiring being referred to by nicknames or by things like 'big guy.'_ I said giving Mew a little look.

She looked at me for a moment, then said, _Latius. Your real name is Latius._


End file.
